Former Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has finally made a decision about his future and officially signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He became the highest paid player in NFL history, getting a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed contract. Cousins will also be able to earn extra $6 million in incentives.
We're glad to have you, @KirkCousins8! pic.twitter.com/DZefsFGMQP
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 15, 2018
After playing under the franchise tag for the Redskins in the past two years, Kirk Cousins became a free agent in this offseason and was the most sought player on the market. According to his agent Mike McCartney, the offer from the Vikings wasn’t even close to being the highest, but Cousin’s desire to play for a well-organized team prevailed.
“As Rick (Spielman, Vikings GM) said yesterday, this is a lifetime deal,” – said Cousins. “That’s the goal. This is a three-year deal but the expectation from both sides is we raise our kids here and then if everything goes as planned that I’d be here for a long, long time.“
Kirk Cousins became a starter for the Washington Redskins in 2015 NFL season and never missed a game since, passing for more than 4,000 yards per season in three consecutive years. This is what made teams go all in for the 29-year-old. Since the salary-cap era in NFL, only two proven veteran quarterbacks came to the market as free agents, Drew Brees and Payton Manning. The difference is that both of them had a previous history of injuries, while Cousins never had an injury that kept him off the field. This is why the Vikings decided to move on from Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, and Case Keenum, and make Kirk Cousins their franchise quarterback.
“If you have an opportunity to go out and potentially get a franchise quarterback or a quarterback that’s going to be leading you for years to come,” – said Spielman. “He’s right now in the prime of his career. Our history tells us if we hit on a player, we’re going to do everything we can to keep that player here. Especially at that quarterback position. That’s why this was so unique. The fully guaranteed part, I know it’s the first time, but also when you have an opportunity to get a potential franchise quarterback, you know where the leverage is going. We respected that and I respected that.“
